Believing

There is a difference between believing God exists and believing in God.  Obviously to believe in God we must believe that He exists.  But there is more involved.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us that the one who pleases God not only believes He exists, he also believes God will reward those who seek His ways.

A friend of mine likes to use the illustration of medicine.  One person may believe medicine exists.  Another person may believe medicine exists and then he uses it knowing there will be a good result.  We must not just believe God exists but believe IN God!  We must not only have the intellectual knowledge that God is alive but also trust Him enough to follow Him.

James tells us that faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:20-26).  The kind of faith that does nothing is worthless and it is not what God wants from us.  The kind of faith that is helpful to us is one that is alive and active.  So what does that mean?

The word “faith” comes from the word that means “to believe”.  In the New Testament, when the noun is used it is almost always translated “faith”.  When the verb is used it is always translated “to believe”.  They both have the same root meaning!  These are action words.  Even the noun form (faith) implies action even though it is not a verb.  That simply means that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).  This little lesson in grammar is powerful.  We must understand that if we want a healthy and vibrant faith, it must be an active faith!

Faith implies trust.  When we see the promises of God and act upon them, we do so because we trust God to keep His promises!  So in order to build faith, we must learn to build trust in God.

Faith also implies knowledge.  We must know what God wants before we step out in faith to do it.  Romans 10:17 teaches that “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  The context is about the need for preachers so that people can be saved.  Paul wrote, “How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).  

People cannot be saved unless they call on the name of the Lord to save them. (See Acts 22:16 for an explanation of that phrase.)  People cannot call on the name of the Lord to save them if they have never BELIEVED.  And they can never believe in something they have never HEARD.

We know that there are people in the world who are teaching all kinds of things as “facts” from the Bible which are not facts at all.  This is nothing new.  It has happened since Satan first tempted Eve in the Garden.  The New Testament is full of warnings about false teachers.  But let’s remember that people cannot be taught error and expect to have faith in God.  They might place their faith in error and in the false teacher, but if their (our) faith is not in GOD’S WORD then it is not faith in GOD.

Believing is vital to the Christian.  Let us study the word to ensure that we are believing TRUTH and that we are acting upon it.  As we do this we will be blessed by God!  Keep your faith in God and in no other.  Do not let yourself be deceived by anything that is contrary to the teaching of God.  Believing is important, but believing the RIGHT thing is the only way to be saved!

Jesus Christ: Playmaker

How do you think Jesus interacted with others? Did He smile all the time? Did He laugh a lot? Was He always sullen and isolated?

The Bible teaches that Jesus was one who loved people. He loved them hypothetically and abstractly, but He also showed love through practical means. He would be the kind of person others enjoyed being around. One of the false charges thrown against Him was that He was a drunkard and a glutton (Matthew 11:20). They charged Him with such because of His behavior. He spent time with people. He was probably gregarious and outgoing. I'm not suggesting that Jesus went around playing practical jokes or causing trouble, but He was far from a sour-faced isolationist.


Jesus was a hearty man. He was robust, daring, full of vigor and zeal. He was strong. He was brave. He was fully capable of doing the unexpected. He loved life and pursued it graciously, respectfully, and vigorously. I think He gave bear hugs to friends until they thought their ribs would crack. He was like the uncle who loved to tease his nephews, or the rugged pioneer who fearlessly set out to explore. He was a go-to man, a marathon runner, a playmaker. 


I am painting a picture. Sure He was a man of sorrows, but He also had a zest for life! I don't know exactly how He acted each day, but I do know that He had that kind of demeanor. I know that because of 2 Peter 1:5. In this passage, Peter is telling us how to partake of the Divine nature mentioned in verse 4. If we want to be like God, then we should act like God! And how does God act? Peter said that part of the Divine nature is virtue.

"Virue" is translated from a word that literally means manliness. That's not to suggest that women should try to be more manly. The use of the word, according to Vincent's Word Studies, denotes "energy...translating into vigorous action."It is a zest for living, a zest for true life that we are to possess.

Would your faith be called full of energy and zest?

How do we possess virtue in that sense? Here are four ideas for your consideration.

1. Have confidence in the faith. That may sound like an oxymoron, but it is not if you see "faith" as the body of doctrine taught in the Scriptures. (See Ephesians 4:5.) Have confidence that you are following the Word of Life and that by following the doctrines of the Word, you will save yourself and any who listen to you (1 Timothy 4:16). (At the same time, if you are not following the faith that comes from the Bible, you have no reason to be confident!)

2. Choose to see through faith, not fear. Faith is not a blind acceptance of some hoped-for reality. I am not suggesting that anyone should put on blinders and refuse to see reality for what it is. That's not faith but insanity. What I am suggesting is that we look at the Bible and see things from THAT perspective. Faith comes by the word of God (Romans 10:17), not by the whims of fictitious hope. When God tells us something will come about, we must trust His word on the matter. So choosing to see through faith means that we trust that God knows what He is talking about. We must trust in Him and have confidence that He knows what He is doing and that He will bring about what is best for those who love Him. That means that even death itself can be seen as a victory!

3. Think of others. The best way to depress yourself is to think of yourself exclusively. Ironically, selfishness harms you. The only way to truly have a robust life is to give that life in service to the Lord (Mark 8:35).

4. Hang around zestful people. One man said, "It's hard to soar with the eagles when you hang around a bunch of turkeys." Your peers influence you. Seek out people who are ALIVE!

If virtue is an attribute of Divinity, how do you suppose Jesus expressed that?
How can you express the same character in your own life?